Are you a mystic?

[Altair]

Are mysticism and spirituality the same? If referring to immaterial, would they be?
If such things could be detected by science, would it still be mystical? Does that mean a mystic is a temporary perspective? Mainstream religion isn't very mystical: believe, follow the codes, live life, be saved. But what if the mystical were to be discovered by all... then it would become mainstream, and maybe not be the same any more.

[AngelBlue]

Originally Posted by sky

I use to believe in Santa Claus

Behave woman...
There are children on here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sky]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Behave woman...
There are children on here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I use to believe, but now I know

[hazada guess]

Define Mystic and then I'll vote.

[Hexagon222]

There was a website I found years ago showing a diagram of the major religions and their corresponding hidden, deeper understanding (mysticism). Some examples of mysticism are Sufism, Sufis (Islam), Kabbalah, Kabbalists (Jewish mysticism), Christian mystics and more. These branches of mysticism all aim for union with God, direct experience of God, ultimate reality. I learned mysticism from reading the older new thought authors, many if not all the ones I read were mystics.

Christian religion may take the Bible as literal while the mystic might see the Bible as more symbolic, filled with parables, allegories, metaphors, anthropomorphism etc. The one who interprets the Bible literally may see God as a father figure with human qualities such as jealousy, anger, wrath while the mystic might understand those qualities to be purely anthropormophic, personifications of God. The mystic has also experienced God directly.

Neville Goddard had an interesting take on the Bible. He was a mystic who studied Kabbalah and was taught the supposed true meaning of Biblical scripture. His take was that the Bible is not a historic document but rather a figurative story. A psychological drama that takes place within you with no reference to any real people that existed or events that actually happened. The Bible being entirely figurative and in no way literal. That Jesus was not a real person but a character that you’re supposed to follow and walk in his footsteps, a character to emulate, to be embodied. I think it was Neville and or one of the other authors said something along lines that generations of people have been waiting for the return of Jesus Christ, when what Biblical scripture is really teaching is that Christ is to return in you in the here and now.

I’ve seen people mention Rumi who was a Sufi mystic and this is one of my favorite reads on Jewish mysticism

The Mystical Experience and Asceticism
https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/arti...Asceticism.htm

“He may reach a state where his body no longer desires anything material, where his mind no longer cares for anything mundane or worldly; his total personality—his mind, interests, emotions, creative energies and drives—and all his bodily resources, not to mention his behavior, have become totally sublimated, transformed, oriented solely towards G‑d.”

Originally Posted by Hexagon222

There was a website I found years ago showing a diagram of the major religions and their corresponding hidden, deeper understanding (mysticism). Some examples of mysticism are Sufism, Sufis (Islam), Kabbalah, Kabbalists (Jewish mysticism), Christian mystics and more. These branches of mysticism all aim for union with God, direct experience of God, ultimate reality. Id.”

Hexagon222,

A worthwhile search on your part. This first paragraph describes it well IMO. Hidden and deeper understandings seems to acknowledge the presence of prior understandings that have validity on a more basic level….in this case meaning the literal understanding. History can be literally true but it can contain the seeds of truth of a higher level.

Every year or so I trot out my thoughts about the 10 Commandments….understood by most as one of the most fundamental doctrines of Christianity. I suggest understanding them as the 10 Promises. For me all the “shall nots” imply a future moment in time…..God is promising that at some point in time all these things will happen. It was addressed to a crowd of people and us also by default. The crowd did not see it happen in their lifetime and neither are we The conclusion ? Is it not a promise of heaven and eternal life ? Perhaps the course of Christianity would have been different if our focus had not been on fear and judgement…..but rather had been on anticipation and hope…..

By the way….this has never drawn a single response…..and I doubt whether it will now…….:)

Oh in regards to the different levels of truth all having validity….remember the principle of synergy….the sum being greater than the parts…..

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Hexagon222

The Mystical Experience and Asceticism
https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/arti...Asceticism.htm

From the link, since many don't click on them.
(Reminder, 3 sentences are ok to copy.)

''He aims to peel away the mirage of this world and connect to the true underlying reality.
All he sees and comes into contact with in our reality he regards as but a representation of something higher,
something greater, something transcendent.
And it is union that he seeks with that transcendence.''

[Redchic12]

ALTAIR…..”my thoughts about the 10 Commandments”

You got me thinking about the Ten Commandments and I have a few issues with those.

One of them says, Thou Shall honour thy mother and father (or something similar)

But how can someone honour their parents if they have been abused physically or mentally and given no respect from them whatsoever!

Just a thought.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by Redchic12

ALTAIR…..”my thoughts about the 10 Commandments”

Huh...? Did I know..... don't remember where?

[Hexagon222]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Hexagon222, in regards to the different levels of truth all having validity….remember the principle of synergy….the sum being greater than the parts…..

For me I like “The Ten Commandments The master Key to Life” by Emmet Fox
https://nevillegoddardbooks.com/secr...er-key-to-life

Emmet is another mystic but unlike Neville he believes the Bible is both symbolic and partially literal. Similar to Neville he makes the statement that the Bible is instruction in psychology and metaphysics. Also similar to Neville he believes each character in the Bible represents a state of consciousness that we have or will play the part of at some point. He says it’s written for people in various stages of spiritual development. So like you said, truth at different levels.

Since honor thy mother and thy father was brought up, Emmet says “underneath it is instruction in divine prayer and metaphysics because your real mother and father is God.” “ It’s telling us to recognize God as the only cause”. He titled the chapter for honor thy mother and father as “Polarity” and he mentions the poles mother/female, father/male and the principals of Polarity. Reminds me of the Kybalion and the hermetic principles. This metaphysical interpretation can be found from other sources as well.

I wanted to mention the Martinist order which is a mystic order based on Christian mysticism and Kabbalah. Another mystic order is the Rosicrucians. I inherited a couple Rosicrucian books “The Technique of the Master” and “The Technique of the Disciple.” I enjoyed reading them.